Slashdot Mirror
Time Warner To Comply With Wiretap Law
rekkanoryo writes "Time Warner Cable is taking steps to comply with the Communications Assistance For Law Enforcement Act, which requires telecommunications providers 'to help police conduct electronic surveilance.' Note that broadband providers are not yet required to comply with the law, but the FBI has stated its desire to force broadband providers under the law's jurisdiction. Invasion of privacy anyone?"
to 1984.
I have over 70 freaks, do you?
That's funny, on my other tabbed paged right now I'm reading about the formalities of moving to Canada
Now would be the time to get using PGP and similar software.
Broadband providers say the FBI's request would, for the first time, force cable providers that sell broadband to come under the jurisdiction of 1994's Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), which further defined the already existing statutory obligations of telecommunications carriers to help police conduct electronic surveillance. Telephone companies that use their networks to sell broadband have already been following CALEA rules.
Ok, fair enough I suppose. But the fact however, as has been pointed out here, is that not all programs are being written in the US. To make IM, VoIP, IRC, and or whatever other type of program that allows communication over IP have backdoors is bad enough. But to expect that every program on the planet has one is just downright silly. But, thats not really the bad part...
Under CALEA, police must still follow legal procedures when wiretapping Internet communications. Depending on the situation, such wiretaps do not always require court approval, in part because of expanded wiretapping powers put in place by the USA Patriot Act.
Bad, bad, bad. Is it so much to ask for due process here? I mean it's part of our own set of friggen laws. Is it so much to ask that the Feds follow the laws before they make new ones?
What happens if they don't comply? This is a serious case of "resistance is futile." Time Warner and the FBI are just playing their proper roles. Congress is the group that needs a clue.
Laws are for people with no friends.
So the article mentions new laws for cable and DSL. I wonder if they have covered their bases with wiretap laws for satellite ISPs?
I know little about how staellite internet access is set up beyond the cost and latency specs. Anyone know if there's less/more/similar difficulty involved something like direcway traffic? I would imagine they can still stick something like our friend "carnivore" at the direcway base station?
I'm really lonely since all I can talk to are my other friends who have VAX & VMS in their basement, but by golly nobody is wiretapping me!
None of this Tee Cee Pee Eye Pee for me!
Thomas
But is this really Time Warners fault? They are making provisions to comply with a law. Yes, it does not yet apply to them, but there is a good chance that it will and they are preparing for that. Shouldn't the real issue here be with the law, not the company?
But instead, they're kowtowing to the government, ensuring that we lose another of the few shreds of privacy we had left.
Organized resistance by individuals is great - but organized resistance by corporations (who should realize that, with all the corporate scandals, may be hurting themselves by giving more wiretap power to the government) would be fantastic and pretty much unstoppable.
Let's see a show of corporate brute force! Who's with me?
So, how do you tap something with 128bit or better encryption???? What happens when it gets to 512bit encryption???? Can the FBI really decrypt that to tap it???
Evolution or ID?
--Mike--
Move along people.
It was possible to wiretap anything 10 years ago. At about that time Cisco started shipping some cards that were too fast for capturing traffic on them in real time.
In 3-4 more years they deployed CEF which made NATing traffic to a remote server for collection not work either. Search the net for people swearing about D.O.S.track not working anymore.
The only reason for doing so was profit and that their gear did not have enough CPU. There was nothing about any bloody privacy.
As for one thing I will be very happy if the routers will be forced to have a working debug mode by law.
Baker's Law: Misery no longer loves company. Nowadays it insists on it
http://www.sigsegv.cx/
Invasion of privacy anyone?
Hurm... a quote from AskCALEA
"The law further defines the existing statutory obligation of telecommunications carriers to assist Law Enforcement in executing electronic surveillance pursuant to court order or other lawful authorization." (Emphasis mine)
Has pretty much the same restrictions as a phone tap, just applied to different media.
And you if think ** anything ** going across the internet is private you are quite mistaken.
That kind of thing won't work. At least not for the more sophisticated criminal networks, who will surely use encryption to do away with wiretapping.
It's like banning guns in the hope that criminals won't get them either. They will still do what they are used to do, but by other means.
Good Dog. I'm tired of this erosion of my rights. Yeah, 9-11 was a Bad Thing (tm) and something had to be done, but the situation is getting out of hand. It ain't just GWB, either. The lawmakers as a whole are either reacting to or catering to the fear factor.
Wiretapping has worked pretty well in the past... but with the proper legal steps taken first (court orders, whatever). Even this has been abused, but I can't see how wholesale wiretapping can be a good thing, ever.
So, guys, you prefer an environment where nothing is regulated, where criminals can do their jobs in peace without their privacy being invaded by the 'big bad guys' in law enforcement. Well, come to my country; we are new to democracy, I am sure you would feel more at home!
I'm convinced that a promising business venture would be a non-US ISP which would sell IPSec tunnels to anyone. The termination point would be outside the US and would preserve privacy.
Trolling is a art,
Quote: "Legal experts said the 85-page filing includes language that could be interpreted as forcing companies to build back doors into everything..."
How would they enforce this with regards to encryption technologies?
My point is if people have something to hide, then they will use whatever mechanism there is out there to hide it. Can authorities really achieve their goals by simply imposing wiretapping laws on broadband providers?
So, it's ok to tap the phone but if the communication goes over the internet it's not ok to tap???? Why is one ok but not the other???
To tap either one they would still need a court order. The same approval process. It's not like they can just go monitor anyone they want whenever they want.
Evolution or ID?
You seriously think any democratic candidate is going to CHANGE this? They're getting even bigger kickbacks from the media companies than the current administration.
"Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my Presidency. I'm fucked."; ~ Donald J. Trump
Given some previous announcements of Time Warner to get into the phone biz (http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/36287 for one example), they would already be required to comply with wiretap laws. Nothing surprising here.
Don't blame the provider for the law. Blame your lawmaker.
Dump the IRS - http://www.fairtax.org
It's none of their business what I or anybody else does with a network. Just another great reason to encrypt your traffic. Seems like their just shooting themselves in the foot to me. My first instinct is to say let them go for it, but then the idea of "your tax dollars at work" comes to mind and on second thought I think it's a rather lame waste of money as all they'll see from me is line noise ;)
Some people are even using 'em to record themselves performing illegal acts. I'm against further invasion of privacy, but if we continue in this declared war without a visible end we'll see more and more of this. At no time in the US does the Executive Branch of government have more time than when the country is at war- hence the "war on drugs" and "war on terror" which cause people to let their common sense blow away on the winds of excessive brain-dead so-called patriotism.
Blech. Ok- now for the backlash!
Turn on those webcams! Stream video of everyone's life into the public domain! Record EVERYTHING YOU SEE and do! The information glut we could generate would overwhelm any monitoring system that could come out, I'm thinking. :) With the increased visibility of conduct and day-by-day infractions, maybe we could effect some reforms. Kind of hard to complain about the splinter in someones eye when you can see the timber in your own on HDTV.
An interesting novel, "Light of Other Days" by Arthur C Clarke and Stephen Baxter, explores the ramifications of such a system- most painful, but generally positive.
Makes ya think, which is almost never a bad thing. :)
Any generalization is a stupid one.
OK, I'm officially the crackpot at work, because I tell them to USE ENCRYPTION! Encryption costs basically nothing, there's no reason why anyone would host a website that didn't use, or at least offer SSL. Everyone out there should use encryption for everything. Get rid of telnet, use ssh, and sftp rather than ftp. Use SSL on your websites, etc.... Encryption literally costs nothing, there is no advantage to not using it, WHY DON'T YOU USE IT? If you're too stupid to protect yourself when doing costs you nothing, then maybe you never really needed rights to begin with.
I just don't understand. It's so incredibly easy to protect your rights in this area, do you want someone else to do it for you. Clicking a button renders all their BS moot. With the effort you spend complaining you could solve the problem, it's just a button click away.
If you want untappable phones, use VPN to run your VOIP from another jurisdiction, simple as that.
AOLTIMEWARNER: We are AOLTIMEWARNER. Resistance is futile.
FBI: Exterminate! Exterminate!
AOLTIMEWARNER: Your unique markets will be added to our own until all media is an even gray mass of mediocrity.
FBI: Exterminate! Exterminate!
AOLTIMEWARNER: And, um, we, uh, you know. Customer privacy and, um.
FBI: The only interest we have in privacy is its total extermination!
AOLTIMEWARNER: Yeeeah. Um, look, we're going to go over there for a while and-
FBI: Obey all FBI commands! Obey instantly! Obey without question! Obey! Obey! Obey! Obey! Obey! Obey! Obey!
AOLTIMEWARNER: Uh, OK.
FCC: Breasts are evil!
To quote the great Kurt Vonnegut, "...and so on."
--- Ban humanity.
...Gary Winston to spy on me now when I'm writing code. Then he's going to steal my work so he can finish Synapse.
Well , the can. All they have to do is 'pinky swear' that it is part of a National Security Matter. Just like they said the USA PATRIOT act would be used only against terrorists. Well, till they used it against that strip club owener is Vegas who has NO TERRORIST TIES>
In short, they lie.
C'mon people.
The internet is a PUBLIC network of public content. Where the hell does anyone get the idea that there is a concept of privacy involved here?
(This is not intended to be sarcastic, rhetorical, nor trolling.)
If you have (or seek) private information, encrypt it (or have it encrypted), (have it) wrap(ped) it in a
If you don't want the Government to watch what you are saying and/or doing, then don't give them anything to watch.
This isn't a Bush or Ashcroft thing... this is a technology thing. Any time technology is seen as capable of doing something, ANYTHING, you can bet someone will try do do so... without regard to whom is in charge.
The problem with socialism is that they always run out of other people's money. - Margaret Thatcher
If you really believed that, would you post such a thing to a public message board whose contents are archived by anyone (and everyone)?
Geez, with a nickname like that, you hardly have to tap his phone, eh? Bwah ha ha haaaa! Heee! I crack me up! I think I'll be Harvey "Destroyer Of Worlds" Birdman. Woo hoo!
I need to know one thing. Will all of this lead to me having phone sex with hot FBI babes? If so, then I support this product and/or service.
Yeah. Hot federal agentette on federal agentette action. Want me summa dat stuff. kupo.
--- Ban humanity.
A governmental entity may obtain personally identifiable information concerning a cable subscriber pursuant to a court order only if, in the court proceeding relevant to such court order -
(1) such entity offers clear and convincing evidence that the subject of the information is reasonably suspected of engaging in criminal activity and that the information sought would be material evidence in the case; and
(2) the subject of the information is afforded the opportunity to appear and contest such entity's claim.This is stronger than the laws on wiretapping. This applies to both cable TV and "other services" provided by a cable TV operator.
If the cable operator owns its own ISP, then that ISP may also be subject to these restrictions.
I missed the post where someone said it was ok to randomly tap phone lines.
Interesting.. It seemed so wrong when it was happening to my grandparents in Cuba. As a child, I was told to watch what I say (I was nine) when writing to my grandparents because my mail would be read by the Cuban government. At the time, I thought it was the craziest thing in the world--but it seems Americans are getting used to this sort of thing. Unfortunately, encryption wasn't an option. The Cuban government took my grandfather's secret decoder ring.
Well that's something that needs to be adressed that the law isn't being implimented properly. But anyone who reads the patriot act will note that all wiretaps still require court authority AND any taps under the PATRIOT act have to be part of an already ongoing investigation. Here are the relevant sections:
www.thebaka.com/rants/patriot
T Money
World Domination with a plastic spoon since 1984
Invasion of privacy anyone?
Use Freenet.
"access to communications infrastructure they need to protect our nation."
This phrase has been used before. Interesting - I thought the terrorist threat came from outside - not inside?
Could it be because of the old lame Shogun effect? The common enemy. Protect yourself by paying me to find problems that should worry you.
Are we still free? Are we still allowed to think that we are free?
Beware of the killer tomatoes.....
*sigh* guess its time to break out the tin-foil hats...
This is my sig. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
Isn't this exactly what AnonX promises? For $6/month, you can tunnel all of your traffic over an encrypted VPN to Vanatua and then to the Internet at large. Vanatua has excellent privacy protection, and AnonX doesn't keep any logs, anyway. The FBI's pressure on ISP's makes AnonX seem even more attractive.
Sometimes I worry that I'll develop Alzheimer's disease, but no one will notice.
Fifty bucks.
Perhaps PGP Freeware would fit the bill for the budget-minded slashdotter. (Also integrates with popular mail clients.)
What's wrong with mandatory body cavity searches? Unless you are participating in some criminal activity violating federal rules of contraband and controlled substances, how does this affect you?
Well, it's called 'innocent until proven guilty,' 'due process,' and 'unreasonable search and seizure.'
Not that America cares all that much about the Constitution; just wait until that bill passes which allows Congress to supercede the SCOTUS...
Checks and balances; here's the check, now my balance is bigger. Here's your new law, sir, would you like freedom fries with that?
Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
Face it people, all this surveillance is going to happen. The government is going to have complete information about you and contrl over you in a few short years. The Internet can be a great tool for communication and education, just like television could have been. It can also be a tool for control, just like television is.
America is in the hands of the bad guys, and within our lifetimes we will have a totalitarian government ruling a flock of consumer/workers who generate wealth for the top 2%. Just like in the good old days, only with HDTV. It's pretty much that way now, but in the future it won't be a secret, and people won't really care as long as the can buy cheap gas, eat Big Macs and watch American Idol on a 42-incher.
I've come to the conclusion that it's just the way the human race works. Some people take charge because the rest let them. Unless you are one of those take-charge types, the best thing you can hope to do is take care of yourself, your family and other people you care about, stay under the radar and live as well as possible. Democracy is like every other good thing that survives until They Who Must Own Everything figure out how to hack it.
People are so quick to give up privacy for convience. Maybe people should read the agreements that they agree to. They (the people) regularly give up thier privacy everyday. If you don't have anything to hide; who cares?
Hand them over ofcourse. Despite the fact people in america do not get a fair trial. If you believe they do look a little bit closer at the system of plea bargaining, people are in jail in america without ever having been found guilty or even have had a trial in front of a jury or judge. Nice eh? Oh sure you can refuse the plea bargain. couple of years in jail vs life when you got no money and no experience with the legal system.
No I am afraid that the worst thing in the world that ever happened was the collapse of the soviet union. At least when they were around america had some opposition. Sure sucked if you lived in the soviet union but now the whole world is living in the US.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
if you want "No More Hiroshimas" then I say "You First. No More Pearl Harbors."
Well, the good news is we all have access to encryption software-- but then again, the govt may already have quantum computing or something. Yeah, we're all screwed.
That is the crux of the issue. Yes it should be Ok to tap, if you get a signed court order from a judge. ( ie, having to make a case for the tap )
The problem is with these new 'taps' is that all the FBI/CIA/etc have to do is claim it has something to do with national security ( they dont even have to explain why ) and they get full access to your private transactions, papers, home, etc.
---- Booth was a patriot ----
bomb, plane, terrorist, nuclear, osama, arab, isreal, pakastan, iraq, sadam, bilogical weapons, anarchy.... *waits for knock on door by the FBI...*
presmike